Traditionally, advertising to consumers has been accomplished using passive means in that advertisements have been strategically presented in printed publications, on billboards, and through radio, television and internet-based media with the hope that consumers would read, view, listen to, or otherwise pay attention to the advertisements. These types of passive advertising are generally ineffective in that the advertiser usually has no means for knowing which consumers have seen or heard the advertiser's advertisement. The inability to collect information concerning the identity of the consumer and how closely the consumer scrutinized or paid attention to the advertisement has limited the value of traditional advertising systems and methods. The potential of data mining to collect consumer information related to advertising viewing and listening habits is underutilized by conventional advertising.
Some advertisers, namely retailers and manufacturers, have created gift cards that have been sold or provided to consumers as a means for driving business to their stores, product lines, or services. In this sense, the advertisers have used gift cards as an advertising tool to promote their retail products, services, and locations. Conventional gift cards pose several problems and disadvantages both in terms of a means of advertising as well as in terms of security, convenience, and personalization.
From a security standpoint, conventional gift cards are often manufactured from plastic having a thickness that is easily perceived by touch when a plastic gift card is inserted inside a conventional paper envelope. The difficulty in concealing traditional gift cards during mailing leaves the gift cards vulnerable to theft when the envelope containing the card has been deposited into a mailbox or during conveyance of the mail. Unless the recipient contacts the gift giver to express thanks or to otherwise indicate the recipient's receipt of the gift card, the gift giver is unlikely to know whether the intended gift recipient received the gift card or whether the gift card was intercepted by an unintended third party during mailing. In addition, traditional gift cards also often lack any means by which the card can be assigned to the gift recipient so that a different unintended recipient cannot utilize the gift card by making purchases. Once the gift giver purchases the gift card, the card is funded by the gift giver and any individual in possession of the card may make purchases using it. The failure of these gift cards to incorporate any identifying information pertaining to the gift recipient renders them an unsecure means to deliver a gift because the gift card can be used by anyone who has possession of the card since no form of identification is required by the card issuer to confirm the identity of the intended recipient prior to activating and redeeming the gift card.
Conventional gift cards also usually require a gift giver to visit a retail store to obtain the card and to fund the card at the retail location. The gift cards cannot be quickly and easily obtained. In addition, traditional gift cards are often sold or provided by merchants without providing a means for sending or mailing the gift card to the gift recipient. Retailers may expect the gift giver to purchase a separate greeting card within which the gift card can be enclosed and mailed to the gift recipient. Traditional gift cards are usually provided in standard formats with a limited number of designs and often lack any means for personalizing the gift card in a way that the gift giver may desire. The lack of personalization of conventional gift cards also detracts from the sentimental nature of the gift thereby rendering them less personal and often less appreciated and less memorable to the recipient. Conventional advertising and gift card systems may also include a web-based component that utilizes a persistent URL (pURL) to identify the consumer or a particular product or service, however, the pURL does not permit the personalization and customization features often desired by both the consumer as well as the advertiser.
As an advertising tool, because conventional gift cards are not personalized, they are disadvantageous for purposes of data mining by retailers and others who wish to obtain the contact information and shopping habit information for both gift givers and gift recipients. Traditional gift cards may not incorporate any interactive components such as customization by the gift giver or personalization of the gift card by the gift giver for its intended recipient. Because no personally identifying information of the gift recipient is related to the gift card, advertisers lose a valuable opportunity to gather information concerning the gift recipient, and therefore, are unable to advertise and promote other products or services to the gift recipient. The exclusion of interactive components that would permit customization and personalization of the gift card by the gift giver is also disadvantageous in that the advertiser has little or no opportunity to advertise and promote additional products to the gift giver for purchase for personal use or for additional gifting purposes.
A need exists for an interactive gifting and advertising method that uses secure customizable gift cards that entertain the gift giver and gift recipient and which can be used for data mining purposes to collect personal identifying information that can be related to each specific consumer's shopping and advertisement browsing habits.